The Too Dark Arcade
by AwesomePossum123
Summary: The Doctor and Rose are on the TARDIS when it malfunctions, leaving them stranded on a strange planet, with an even stranger building. Shadows lurking about, a strange boy with the eyes of an old man and a face too dark, and lights that keep flickering, this is an adventure they'll never forget.
1. Chapter 1

It all started with a question that was said a lot. A _lot._

"Where have you taken us?!" Rose shouted at the Doctor, who was nervously flitting about the console room of the TARDIS, trying to figure out what the crazy ship was doing.

"It wasn't me! I don't know what she's doing!" The Doctor retorted right before the ship lurched violently to the left.

"Well… Tell her to stop!" Rose yelled over the noises of crashing objects and a falling Time-Lord.

"You think it's that easy? Oh, we've landed, maybe it is that easy…" He opened the TARDIS doors to see they were definitely not on Earth anymore.

"Doctor, where are we?" Rose asked, grabbing his hand.

Outside was a large dark purple sky with no moon or stars. The grass was a dark green that shimmered a bit as it swayed in the cold breeze. They were in the middle of a field, there was absolutely nothing in sight except for a large, suspicious looking building. It was made out of a sort of grayish stone that Rose had never seen before, and the wooden door was falling apart and missing a knob. There was a sign above the door in an alien language that the TARDIS didn't translate for her. The building was about four times the size of the TARDIS console room, and there was a small porch in front of it with stairs. Four windows were slightly boarded up, and Rose could have sworn she had seen movement inside. They had to get out of here.

"Um…" The Doctor picked up a large chunk of the green grass and licked it. "I…" He sniffed the air and jumped up and down, "Don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know? You always know where we are!" Rose slowly backed up towards the police box to find that the doors had shut on them. She tried to use her key, but it was of no use.

"She's locked us out! My own ship!" He banged on the doors and even tried pulling like he was supposed to. "But what could you be…" He looked towards the building with a hint of curiosity in his eyes that Rose knew all too well.

"Doctor, we are not going in there," She said firmly.

"Rose! I thought you liked a bit of adventure," The Time-Lord winked at her and started casually walking towards the building. It looked exactly like a stereotypical haunted house, one you would see in movies of hear about in an old ghost tale.

"What's the sign say?" She asked, pointing above the door. They were now standing a good six meters from the structure, looking at it in awe.

"This is ancient… Um…" He squinted his eyes at the sign and took a few more steps towards it.

"Please tell me you can read it."

The Doctor shook his head in disbelief and turned to face Rose again, "I can't… Why can't I? Oh well now we _need_ to go inside!" He smiled and ran towards the building.

"This won't end well," Rose muttered to herself, following him, feeling like a mother whose child ran off again. She practically was.

The old wood door creaked open and revealed a large first floor. "It's an arcade! Of course… I love arcades… Did I ever tell you about the time I went to an arcade with Einstein? Ah, he loved Pacman, good ol' Einstein…"

Rose entered the room carefully, making sure the door was wide open so it wouldn't shut the second she entered like in a horror movie. White sheets covered a bunch of arcade games that looked just like Earth ones. There was a light on the ceiling that was strangely already turned on, even though she was pretty sure neither of the travelers had touched a light switch. It was flickering though, very slowly. There was dust everywhere, her sight was a little bit blurred by it, she had never seen so much dust in one place.

"Doctor," Rose coughed, "Don't you think we should get out of here?"

"The TARDIS obviously thinks we should be here, and as much as I hate to admit it, the old girl knows best…"

"Well, maybe she made a mistake this time… This place looks…"

"Old," He finished her sentence. "I love old things! How can you not love old things? They're so…" He trailed off, lifting up one of the sheets and pretending to play an arcade game.

"Dusty."

The Doctor faced Rose and stared at her for a minute. "Hmm…"

"What? What is it?" She touched her cheek thinking there was something on her face.

"Feeling alright?" He mumbled, running his sonic screwdriver over her and reading the results with interest.

"Yeah… Just scared… Is something wrong with me?" Rose watched him rake a hand through his hair and shake his head.

It wasn't very believable.

"But look over there!" The excitement returned to his expression, pointing towards some stairs. The room was basically split into three columns, each column edged with arcade games covered in white sheets. At the end of the middle column, which also had the door, there was a staircase. He pointed towards the stairs and bolted over to them. "Stairs!"

"I don't know if we should…" She started talking, then noticed the Doctor had already gone up the stairs. She laughed to herself at his impatience, something was bound to go wrong.

After all, it always did.

"Look! Rose, come here!" She heard his voice echo from the top floor down.

The stairs creaked under her feet and felt like they would collapse any second. Luckily, there was a hand railing at the side, so she gripped onto it for dear life and eventually made it to the Doctor.

The upper floor was empty, except for several things scattered on the ground. The two windows had little light shining through, and unlike the first floor, had no light.

He was examining an old yellow envelope with tears in it, and a name written on the back. "It's for someone named… Edgar?"

"Uh, Edgar Allan Poe?" Rose suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

To her surprise, the Doctor instantly dropped the letter and ran over to her. "Are you sure you're alright?" He stared at her with pure concern.

"Is something wrong with me?" She glanced at the letter on the floor.

"Anyways… This letter… It's not for us, so we probably shouldn't read it," He mumbled, picking it back up. "Probably… Shouldn't… Read… It…" He repeated slowly, flipping it back and forth and examining it further.

"Read it," Rose smiled and watched as he immediately pulled out the letter from its envelope and stared at the contents.

"I can read this language," He said thankfully.

_Dear Edgar,_

_I hope you find this letter in good health. If it does, then get out of there immediately, because you won't be in good health for long. That place is infested. I'm not quite sure what with, but, brother, if you have ever trusted me on anything, trust me on this. The Riminants Arcade is not where your fortune lays, it is only your death place. Evacuate it, immediately, I cannot stress the urgency of this letter enough. Keep Arid safe._

_Love, your brother,_

_Yan._

"We need to get out of here," Rose demanded, taking the Doctor's arm and pulling it back towards the stairs.

"Another letter!" He plucked another piece of paper off the ground, this one not in an envelope. "This is my handwriting…" The Doctor muttered, examining the cursive.

_Vashta Nerada. Run._

_The Doctor and Rose_

_xx_

All the color drained from the Time-Lord's face, and Rose rushed over to him and held him upright. "Vashta Nerada? What does that mean? And I don't remember leaving this here!"

"We haven't yet. Rose, stay absolutely still. Do. Not. Move." The Doctor stared at her and walked towards her slowly.

Rose swallowed nervously but obeyed his instructions. He had so much urgency in his voice and in his eyes, what could the Vashta Nerada possibly be? "No…" He mumbled, then looked into her eyes again and tried to smile. "Listen, don't move," He lifted her up carefully, placing one arm under her neck and another behind her knees.

"What are yo-"

"Don't. Move." He walked slowly down the stairs, carrying her, trying not to bump into anything or move her too much. "Try to not even breathe," He added when he was halfway down. The Doctor glanced at her quickly and saw the fear that she was staring at him with. This couldn't be happening, there was no way. The Vashta Nerada? _Here?_ In an old, abandoned arcade? There wasn't any life, no forests, not too many shadows to hide in. He should have noticed earlier, when Rose's face looked way too dark for the lighting she was under. "You'll be okay, Rose," He whispered to her, but she had a feeling he was assuring himself more than he was assuring her, "We'll get out of here, back to the TARDIS, and be okay…"

Back on the first floor, he made sure to avoid all shadows. The flickering light wasn't helping his confidence.

At all.

He was slowly making it towards the door when he noticed Rose's blue jumper was way too dark. Darker than he remembered it. Swallowing in fear, he saw her eyes go shut. "You okay? Rose?"

She opened her eyes again and, to his dismay, nodded her head.

"No, no, don't move, it's fine… Just…" He approached the door, going even slower now, "Don't move," He repeated. "We'll both be fine, and I'll yell at the TARDIS, and she'll throw me into the swimming pool, okay? Fine, fine fine."

Just as he was a few feet away from the door, it slammed shut. Maybe this was a stereotypical haunted building in the middle of nowhere. Rose's eyes widened and the Doctor put her on her feet and studied her. "I'm scared," She whispered, moving her mouth as little as possible.

"Don't be scared, Rose, what did I say? Remember what I said," He ran his sonic screwdriver over the door, "Haven't got a setting for wood. That's so embarrassing... Why don't I have a setting for wood yet?!"

"Window..." Rose spoke beyond her breathe. The Doctor heard her and ran towards one of the windows with planks on it and began budging. A few of the planks wouldn't move, even though the sonic was able to open the window itself.

"Listen! You all, the Vashta Nerada! I'd like to speak with you!" The Doctor bellowed through the arcade, his voice echoed across the walls and back at them several times. "Hello? Surely you all are intelligent enough to communicate!"

There was a rumbling from the corner of the arcade, and the Doctor gestured for Rose to stay still while he walked towards it. One of the arcade games was shaking, and the white sheet was falling off of it. "Hello?" He repeated, kneeling down and running his sonic screwdriver over it. "Anyone home?"

Much to his surprise, a small child from behind the machine walked out and faced him. The boy looked around the age of eight, human, and had dirty blonde hair and freckles, along with a black and white tuxedo and no shoes. "Doctor?" He asked, reaching his hand towards the Time-Lord.

The Doctor backed away, noticing the child's dark features. Darker than they should have been. "How do you know my name?" He whispered back to the child before whipping around on his heels to see that Rose was staring at him, in the same spot he had left her.

"They said you'd come," The child walked towards him, a bright grin on his face. Somehow that grin made him all the creepier.

"Who? Who are you, and who said I would come?" The Doctor ran his sonic screwdriver over the child and was puzzled at the results.

"I'm Edgar."


	2. Chapter 2

"You're like me," The boy called Edgar smiled, staring at the Doctor curiously. "Your eyes, they're old, and your body is young."

"How do you... I saw your letter," The Doctor blurted out, kneeling down to be at Edgar's height. He handed him the letter, and Edgar read it over uninterested.

"My brother, Yan. He was concerned for my well being. But the shadows take care of me, I don't worry," The little boy dropped the letter and walked past the Doctor towards Rose, who was standing still. "You can move, golden child. The shadows won't harm you in my presence."

"Golden child?" Rose muttered, relaxing. She glanced up at the Doctor who had a worried expression written all over his face.

"The Time-Lord's companion," Edgar smiled up at her sadly, "You must feel honored."

"Uh..." She blurted out, now knowing why the Doctor was so nervous. This kid was terrifying. Unlike the Doctor, the little boy's old eyes were much, much more obvious. It wasn't that he had wrinkles or crow's feet, it was just the depth of them. There were some secrets inside him. He spoke with a tone that was kind and gentle and unbelievably knowledgeable. Edgar knew more than you, knew more than anyone in the world.

A small frown grew on the child's face, "You haven't done it yet."

"Done what, sweetie?" Rose kneeled as the Doctor had done.

"Too young," Edgar muttered quietly.

"Listen, Edgar, it's been wonderful meeting you, however, me and Rose here were just planning to make a little pit stop. So if you wouldn't mind, could you tell your... Shadows... To leave her?"

"Bad Wolf," Edgar replied simply, walking past Rose and towards the door.

"Bad Wolf?" The Doctor's eyes widened and stepped in front of the door before Edgar could touch it. "Who told you those words?"

"The shadows. They hear all," Edgar put his gaze on Rose and kept it there.

"We really should leave," The Time-Lord turned to the door and struggled with it. "Open this door, Edgar."

"You cannot leave, not until you save her," The child stared at Rose, even though she tried to move his gaze by walking away and turning around.

"But you can save her!"

"I... Am forbidden," Edgar looked very uncomfortable suddenly, finally pulling away his gaze and resting his hand on the wooden door as the Doctor moved out of the way.

"Save Rose, please," The Doctor begged, his voice breaking a little at the 'please'.

"Rose? No, you must save Arid," He stated as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Arid? Who is... Oh... The letter!" The Time-Lord raised the letter and read that part aloud, "Keep Arid safe." He approached Rose and held her hand to stop the fear. "If I save Arid, will you save Rose?"

Edgar shut his eyes, somehow making him look even stranger. After focusing for a few seconds and scrunching up his young face, he nodded. That was enough for the Doctor, who regained his confidence and strutted around running his sonic screwdriver over everything. "So, tell me about Arid," He questioned Edgar.

"Aridia is my sister."

"Anything else? Where she is? Who she's with? What she looks like? I'm not picking up any other life forms, just us and the shadows."

"Arid... She's here. Black hair, green eyes. Tan. Aged nineteen. Last seen here. With me." Edgar sounded like he was reading a Wikipedia article more than he sounded like he was describing his sister whom he loved.

"Where here? Over there? Under a sheet? In a closet?" The Doctor pressed, "Any information will help me find her, Edgar."

The lights flickered again. Rose felt her face gently, she could feel something there, it was a very strange feeling. It was as though she was coated in some sort of extra layer, something above her skin, but something that couldn't be felt. The shadows were on her, she knew that from what had happened earlier. The Vashta Nerada... If they were on her skin, could they kill her whenever they felt like it? What if her and the Doctor couldn't save Arid? Or even worse, what if they used her as a bargaining chip for the Doctor? The worry she was feeling was unbelievable, so many things could happen, already had happened. And what did Edgar mean by the golden child? Maybe it had something to do with that time at the Game Station she didn't remember. Maybe...

"Rose? Feeling okay?" The Doctor looked at her with concern, then turned to Edgar, "I'd really feel a lot more comfortable if your... Friends... Left Rose."

"Going back on our agreement, Time-Lord?" Edgar suddenly looked even more terrifying, his blue eyes glowing even brighter. He stared at the Doctor with the same look of knowledge and a hint of anger. "I know about you. In a way, I _am_ you."

The Doctor swallowed nervously and backed away, shocked by Edgar and the fact that he was being frightened by a small child. A child's features which were still too dark. Much too dark. In fact, everything here was much too dark. He didn't like it. "I'm not going back on our agreement, but if you want me to find Arid, give me some information."

"So commanding... Such a leader... Led your own species to their death... Not to mention you eliminated another species, and probably several more... You're no better than my shadows, or me."

Rose expected the Doctor to retort to this with sarcasm, maybe with a rude comment, maybe a 'we're-leaving-Rose,' but instead, to her surprise, he simply stepped back and almost fell. "Doctor? Are you okay?" She caught him and helped him keep his balance.

"How did you... There's no way you possibly could've known... Who are you?" The Doctor spat at an amused Edgar. "I didn't kill them..."

"You did. Brutally."

"Shut up," Rose walked towards Edgar, "I don't care if you are a little boy, leave him alone."

"Do you really expect me to help you now?" The Doctor spoke up again after a minute of silence. "After you insult me?"

"Absolutely."

"And why is that?" The Doctor was seconds away from kicking Edgar and tearing down the door behind him. And he was not a violent man.

"Look at her face," Edgar said gently, nodding towards Rose.

Rose looked around worriedly, "What's wrong with my face?!" She touched her forehead, trying to feel for anything. But what she couldn't see or feel was her face turn a darker shade of black.

"Don't do that to her," The Time-Lord warned Edgar, "If you know so much about me, you should know not to do that."

"But I do know about you," Edgar waved his hand and Rose's face lightened, although the shadow's presence was still obvious to anyone's eye. "And I know that you will help Arid to save the golden child."

"I'll save Arid, but not like this. We have to cooperate."

Edgar looked curiously at the Doctor for a minute before (much to Rose's and the Doctor's joy) agreeing, "Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you from Earth?" The Doctor asked, gently. He had learned he had to be extremely careful with this little boy, because honestly, he was starting to scare the Doctor.

"Yes, 1817. Richmond, Virginia. My true father left seven years ago and my mother died shortly after," Edgar spoke again. It was strange how he still sounded as though he was reading an article from an encyclopedia instead of actually speaking about his life.

"How did you get here?" Rose whispered to him, her hands on her face, still trying to detect the Vashta Nerada that were still there.

Edgar looked confused at this question, "The shadows brought me here."

"Why?"

"To give me Yan and Arid. Yan is dead."

"I'm very sorry," The Doctor said solemnly, loss was one thing he could relate to this boy on. "Where's Arid? I can save her."

"The bad shadows took her. In the basement."

"The basement?" Rose replied, walking around the arcade. There weren't any stairs anywhere. "There is no basement."

"There's a trapdoor. Follow me," Edgar gestured towards the corner of the arcade, then proceeded to try and lift one of the games off of the floor.

"Here," The Doctor grasped the machine and helped the child lift it, placing it to the side. The game was emptied of its contents, and was broken beyond repair. Underneath it was an old, dusty trapdoor, made of brown wood with a black metal hatch. Edgar lifted it up and proceeded down the ladder that was underneath it.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Rose mumbled, being the last to go down the ladder that led into a pit of nothingness.

"Nope... Maybe you should wait up there, Rose," She heard the Doctor call gently from below her. Rose tried to look at his face, but couldn't see a thing.

"With these shadows on my face? Yeah right."

"Edgar? Are you at the bottom yet?" The Doctor called down the ladder quietly, hearing the little boy's footsteps.

"Yes. I found a light."

When they all reached the bottom of the ladder, Edgar was holding a large lantern with a dim light in the middle. The floor they were now in was much larger than the ground level, and there were boxes and shelves everywhere. Most everything was empty except for a few journals, books, pieces of machinery, and plenty of dust. The wooden floor was torn apart, with planks missing to reveal straw underneath. The walls were a chipped, white stone and the ceiling had no lights built into it.

"You said Arid was down here, I don't see her," The Doctor said to Edgar, annoyed.

"She is," Edgar insisted, walking into the middle of the room and rummaging through some boxes that were larger than him.

"How did you get here? To this planet? You're human, right?" Rose asked, flipping through a blue journal with few meaningless words scattered among its ripped pages.

"I was given a new family and sent here, they said I would be returned before I would be missed."

"Who? Edgar, listen to me," Rose kneeled down and grabbed his arm, noticing how he tensed at the contact. "You have to give us details, stop trying to be all... Ghosty..."

Edgar ripped his arm away and stared at her, the curiosity from earlier back in his eyes. "You don't think you're good enough yet."

"What?"

Edgar pulled Rose closer to him suddenly and whispered in her ear, his eyes on the Doctor. "To be with him, to be the Doctor's companion. To travel throughout time and space. In a TARDIS. You don't think he's proud. He can't hear me."

"Shut up," She snapped, standing up and looking at the Doctor who had his head in a box. Literally.

"Bring the lantern over here, I can't see anything," The Time-Lord muttered.

"He's avoiding all questions. Quite well, if I'm honest," Rose whispered to the Doctor, grabbing his hand.

"He's like... He's like someone, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Who is he?..." The Doctor murmured, shaking his head and flipping through more books. He raised his voice and approached Edgar, "Where is Arid?"

"In the basement."

"We're in the bloody basement, I don't see any girls!" Rose retorted, completely sick of this boy's act.

"You're standing on her."

Rose and the Doctor looked down and saw only the floor. Confused, Rose looked to the Doctor and saw realization and shock on his face. "If Edgar is standing right there," He began, "With a lantern. Why is the floor still so dark? We're standing on the Vashta Nerada. And they have Arid. Listen, Edgar, you can command these shadows. They'll listen to you. Command them to give her back to you."

"I've tried that, they just tell me the same thing over and over."

"What do they tell you? You have to tell us these things or we can't help!" The Doctor had to resist throwing up his hands in exasperation, grabbing Rose, and getting out of the arcade. This was by far one of the strangest situations he had ever been in. A little boy, from 1817, terrifyingly filled with knowledge, who had control of the Vashta Nerada, predators that lurked in shadows, quite literally. What was truly going on?

* * *

Far away. That was about all she knew. She was far away, and she had been relaxed for so long until the Time-Lord and the Bad Wolf came. Shrouded in darkness, covered by eternity, Arid sat, her tan arms around her knees, black hair falling over her back, eyes closed, listening to the silent whispers of the shadows. It wasn't that she didn't want to get out, of course she did, but she knew getting out meant pain. And pain was one enemy she knew all too well, one enemy she had been glad to be rid of. It also meant questions. Questions that she should know the answer to.

Who is her brother?

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Can you guess who Edgar is? Next chapter will be up soon!


	4. Chapter 4

"They tell me you'll get her back," Edgar finally answered, a small pained look on his face.

The Doctor sighed and looked over at Rose, who gave him a slight shrug. "Alright. Edgar, may I enter your mind?"

Edgar debated this for a minute and then nodded slightly. As the Doctor got closer to the little boy and placed his hands on his temples, he actually felt fear for what he might see inside the boy's mind. He had never felt fear about entering a mind before. Rose watched carefully as the Doctor performed his telepathy. She had seen it happen a few times before, but it was still strange to her.

The Doctor's expression changed a thousand times in a mere minute as he searched through the child's mind. So many doors were shut, more doors than a regular human should be able to shut. Well, a child anyways. Edgar was definitely special. However, after lightly pushing on a few doors in his mind, Edgar reluctantly opened them, allowing the Doctor access to his past memories.

"No... You can't be," The Doctor smiled his manic grin and looked over at Rose, releasing Edgar's head.

"What is it, Doctor?" Rose asked with curiousity, honestly wishing these dumb Vashta Nerada would explain what the hell was going on.

"Rose," The Doctor's voice dropped to a excited whisper and he ran over to her to s whisper something in her ear. "He's-"

The Doctor's voice was cut off by a loud crying from the center of the room. The three looked towards the sound to see the figure of a young woman clutching her knees to her chest with long black hair sobbing quietly.

"Arid?" Edgar whispered happily, beginning to run towards her, only to be stopped by the Doctor's arm.

"Wait," The Time-Lord commanded, walking towards Arid and running his sonic screwdriver over her. "Just a hologram. The Vashta Nerada are producing it. But why? Why show her to us and not give her.. Arid! Can you hear me?"

Arid stopped crying for a second and looked up, seeing absolutely nobody there. But she could have sworn she had heard a voice, a genuine living voice. Now that was something she hadn't heard in a while. "Hello?" Her voice was raspy from being unused and she cleared her throat.

"Arid, where are you?" The Doctor shouted, not noticing Edgar running up to his sister and reaching out his hand towards her.

"I... I don't know. Are you real?" She replied, staring to the empty space to the left of Rose.

"Yes, I'm real. Now tell me, what happened?"

"Edgar, are you there?" Arid ignored the Doctor's question.

It was easy to see how they were related, even though they looked nothing like each other. They both were bloody brilliant at avoiding questions.

"Yes, Arid!" Edgar replied excitedly, some tears welling up in his eyes and giving the Doctor and Rose a glimpse of a true, deep emotion from the little boy for the first time.

"And Yan?"

"Dead."

Rose walked up behind the Doctor and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. "Listen, Arid, if you want to get out of there, you have got to tell me what's happening."

"Are you the Doctor?" Arid replied, her face turning to anger, "I don't want to get out of here! It will hurt!"

"Why would it hurt? And how do you know who I am?!" He shouted at her, exasperated.

"I know a lot about you, Thete," She replied coldly, staring blankly at the empty space even though the Doctor felt her eyes on him.

Thete. Arid had called him Thete, and his face had paled completely. Rose squeezed his hand even tighter with concern. His name was Thete? Wasnt the universe supposed to collapse or something if his name was spoken? And, well, the Doctor had told her Gallifreyan words could do absolutely magical things. Rose had heard some Gallifreyan words before, and they _were_ magical. But Thete? Sure, it was beautiful, but hardly what she would imagine his name to be.

After about five minutes of complete silence and utter stillness, the Doctor released his grip on Rose's hand and took another step forward. "How did you call me that?" The Time-Lord asked with the Oncoming Storm in his eyes and the Predator in his voice. Although, to Rose, it seemed like a strange question.

"Shadows see everything," Edgar and Arid said simultaneously.

"Don't ever call me that again," The Doctor warned, "Neither of you are shadows. In fact, I know exactly who Edgar is."

Arid's face lit up with curiosity at this, whilst Edgar stayed mostly solemn, just awkwardly shifting a bit. "Who is he?" Arid asked, standing up now but keeping her eyes focused on the empty space.

"I'll tell you in exchange for some information and some help."

"Ask away, I'll tell you all I know."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Okay, so, just to answer a question a friend of mine had. (And maybe some other people want to know) 'Arid' is pronounced 'A Rid' with a hard 'A.' Although if you pronounce it a different way it really doesn't matter.


	5. Chapter 5

"How did the Vashta Nerada get to you?" The Doctor demanded, scanning Arid with his screwdriver.

"It was so long ago. I was in the arcade, and the shadows grew darker and darker. Yan collapsed in front of me. He... Died in my arms," She explained slowly, closing her eyes and shaking her head quickly. "Then I was gone."

"And you were there?" The Time-Lord turned to Edgar who nodded pensively.

"He controls the shadows. I don't know how, but he does," Arid continued, her eyes now focused on her brother. "He's not my brother by blood."

"Trust me, I know that," The Doctor mumbled, rubbing his temples with his hands.

"Doctor, you know who he is. Tell me." Rose asked him quietly.

"Wait a minute. That's it! Arid, when the shadows killed Yan and took you, what was happening?" He asked, suddenly rushed and putting back his screwdriver.

"We were just talking."

"About what? Give me details! What were you talking about, what were you wearing?"

"We were in the arcade, I was wearing this, he was wearing a tuxedo. We were speaking with Edgar about..." Her eyes narrowed, focusing. "About how Edgar got here."

"Exactly! You two were speaking about Edgar, just about to figure out who he was, and WHAPOW!" He yelled, making everyone back away, "Yan dies, very sorry by the way, and you're taken away. Me and Rose read the letter from Yan, suddenly, the Vashta Nerada invade her. They don't want us finding out who that boy is. But why? It makes no sense? Why hide him!"

"Doctor!" Rose gasped.

"He's just a boy yet he can control the shadows... Yet they control him... What does it mean? Think, think, think!"

"DOCTOR!" Rose screamed louder.

"What?"

"You know who Edgar is, doesn't that mean?..." Rose began, too afraid to finish her sentence. The Doctor's face drained of blood and she ran over to him. "They won't take you, don't worry."

"I'm so sorry Rose," He mumbled to her, "I'm so so sorry..."

"Why? You're fine..." She replied, supporting him with her arms.

"Look at my face..." His face was darker than it had been before, and the fear was obvious in his eyes... "Listen, Rose... Gotta tell you something..."

She nodded and leaned in closer to him, putting her ear to his lips. The Doctor whispered unbelievably quiet words into her ear and her breath hitched a little, shocked. "Really?"

And with a quick flash, the Doctor disappeared from her arms and melted into the shadows. Rose held in her tears and looked up to see the second spectacle that was happening in the room. Arid, who was previously a hologram, was slowly becoming more and more solid and visible. Edgar clutched his sister happily, while she looked around shocked at her new surroundings.

"What will we do now?" Rose asked the two siblings after their joyful reunion.

"The Doctor saved my sister. You may go." Edgar waved his hand and Rose could feel the evil of the Vashta Nerada being lifted from her body. Although it was a relief to have them gone, she was now worried that Edgar and Arid would leave her helpless.

"Edgar, tell the shadows to give the Doctor back. Come on, we got you your sister, help me," She begged the boy, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I can't," He said, a small hint of sadness and apology in his expression. "He's gone."

"Then make him a hologram like you did to Arid, come on, just do something."

Edgar's eyebrow raised a little in interest, "There's only one way. The shadows need someone. You can replace him, that's it."

"Then do it! Do it now!" She yelled without hesitation. If her being trapped meant the Doctor getting free, there was no question.

The boy smiled with amusement, releasing his grip on his sister's hand. "You're willing to risk your life for a man covered in the blood of millions. Why?"

"He's my best friend. Now please, I don't have time for these bloody riddles. Just bring him back."

"As you wish," His last gentle words were the last thing Rose heard before she was sucked into the shadows. It was completely painless. She simply opened her eyes and found herself shrouded by black, unable to see or feel. She could think, however, so she let her thoughts drift to the Doctor.

* * *

"Rose?!" The Doctor shouted the second he woke up back in the old storage room. He saw Edgar and Arid staring at him. "Where's Rose? What happened? Why don't I remember who you are?"

"She replaced you, the shadows took her."

"Then give her back and take me!" He shouted in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

"She wouldn't want that. The shadows need someone."

"WHAT FOR?" He screamed in exasperation, about to strangle Edgar to the ground, little boy or not.

"To feed."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:** The end! Hope you've enjoyed! Please please review! 3

* * *

"Feed. They need someone to feed... First they took Arid..l then me, then Rose. The Vashta Nerada physically need someone... But why. They're connected to you... They need you, and they need someone. Why, why, why?!" The Doctor rapidly ran his hands through his hair in exasperation, before slowly turning around and looking up. "It's obvious."

Edgar and Arid, hand in hand, stared at the Doctor with curious faces.

"Don't you see? The Vashta Nerada, the shadow assassins, around for so long hunting in the forest! See, there's a reason humans and most species associate darkness with evil. The shadows feed on darkness!" He smiled brightly at Edgar, who now looked a little confused.

"What for?" Arid asked quietly after a minute of silence.

"To give to him! To fuel him!" The Doctor pointed a long finger at the boy. "But why would they fuel Edgar with darkness... Perhaps so you can be a spokesperson, a guide to the outside world. If you're a shadow with no way to communicate, how do you learn? How could you learn easily, while blending into the world? Easy, you take the form of a little boy and have him end up being-"

_CRASH!_

"What was that?!" Arid shouted out at the loud banging that came from upstairs.

"No no no... We need to hurry," The Doctor rushed back up to the ground floor of the arcade, Arid and Edgar close behind him.

The room was in a state that the Doctor nor his new friends had never seen before. The lights were flickering rapidly while the door slammed shut and open again faster than their eyes could track it. Certain objects were shaking while others weren't, and the shadows around the room were zooming all over the arcade. Edgar buried his head into his sister's stomach and Arid wrapped her arms around him quietly, whispering calming words.

"Doctor, what happened?" She demanded to know, her eyes piercing his.

"It's Rose... They took Rose," He mumbled, looking frantically around the room with disbelief.

"So?"

"Rose doesn't have much darkness. They'll starve. And without darkness... Edgar!" The Doctor tore the boy away from his sister and stared at his closed eyes. "Open your eyes, Edgar."

"Darkness," Edgar mumbled, shaking his head and refusing.

"Get Rose out of there, tell the shadows I'll find someone or something to feed them but get her out of the mix! She's not dark! She's of no use to them!" He commanded, gripping the boy's shoulders with his hands.

"Can't... Don't control them..."

"Edgar, listen to me, this entire time your problem has been not controlling the shadows. You've got to take control, come on! They use darkness to fuel you, but you can turn the table! Make the darkness! Become your own person and save her! Save all of us!"

The boy's eyes squeezed shut even tighter as he fought the shadows. All the darkness in the room moved towards him quickly and the shaking of the room gradually so lowed down. Two pairs of eyes were focused completely on Edgar as he concentrated with all his might.

After a mere few minutes, a hologram similar to Arid's appeared just in front of the exit to the arcade. Rose sat cross-legged, staring straight forward at nothing in particular. The Doctor ran over to her immediately. "Rose! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, it's just dark."

"Doctor," Edgar's raspy voice whispered out. "I can save the Bad Wolf, but someone needs to feed them. Someone needs to create darkness."

"Oh, I know just the man for the job," The Doctor grinned widely as Rose's hologram became more and more solid, and he finally understood the rest of the puzzle.

* * *

"Rose!" The Doctor pulled her into a tight hug, and her weak knees almost made her fall over, but he caught her.

"Doctor! I don't understand... What..." She began, but he cut her off with a finger to her lips.

"I'll explain on the TARDIS, we're not done here just yet! We've got to drop off a few people."

Rose, Edgar, the Doctor, and Arid all boarded the TARDIS, but the two new friends didn't seem very shocked by the bigger-on-the-inside. Though, compared to everything they had seen today, they were probably too exhausted to care that they were in a police box from England with a mad alien.

"Explanation time?" Rose looked at the Doctor with her big brown eyes, and Arid and Edgar gathered around also eager to listen.

"Yes. Edgar, I know where to take you where you will lead a happy life, and Arid will be there as well, although you two won't actually be siblings. Just good friends, if that'd alright?"

The two glanced at each other with a hint of confusion on their faces, but they nodded anyways. "Good," The Doctor continued, "Then let's go to Richmond, Virginia. 1817."

They stepped out of the police box doors to see a large grassy field with a light blue sky. Thankfully, it was most definitely Earth. "This is America?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Yep, and you two," He nodded at Edgar and Arid, "Will live here."

"But what about the shadows? How are they feeding? I don't feel them," Edgar said, looking up at the Time-Lord.

"Oh, Edgar, Edgar, Edgar. I think they'll feed just fine."

After saying goodbye, Rose was prepared to pelt the Doctor with questions. However, instead, he just put a finger to her lips again and began explaining. "Rose, you guessed who he was at the very start! The idea was just so ridiculous neither of us believed it!"

She strained her memory trying to think of what the Doctor was getting at. "Oh... You don't mean..."

"I mean."

* * *

Rose found some spare paper and a pen and tossed it at the Doctor. He scribbled a quick note, "Vashta Nerada. Run. The Doctor and Rose. xx." Then they traveled back in time and set the letter down in the arcade, where their past selves would find it.

As they finally completed their adventure, Rose relaxed next to the Doctor on the couch in the library. She stretched out her arms and legs and rested her head on his chest. "Can you believe we met Edgar Allan Poe?" She mumbled into him, drifting off to sleep already.

"And his stories will feed the Vashta Nerada for a while." The Doctor put his book in front of her face to show her that he was reading the Tell-Tale Heart.

"Read to me, Doctor," She yawned and scrunched up her legs against him.

"And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it - oh so gently!"


End file.
